The invention relates to a method and apparatus, i.e., a packaging system, for receiving in portions a stain removing agent preferably in paste form.
Stain removing agents in paste form are becoming more readily accepted than liquid stain removing agents because they make possible a removal of stains without any margins. Collapsible tubes are filled with the stain removing agents in paste form and the latter are taken from the tubes in portions as required. In this respect, great care must be taken to see that after each removal of agent the collapsible tube is closed again in a sealing manner, as otherwise the liquid solvent comprised in the stain removing agent evaporates so that the paste dries out. Stain removing agents in paste form kept in collapsible tubes dry out even if this rule is strictly adhered to, because on rolling up the tube which has been emptied portion-by-portion, it is impossible to avoid the formation of hair cracks in the tube wall and the solvent evaporates through these cracks.
One possibility for removing a stain removing agent in paste form portion-by-portion from a storage container without the danger of evaporation of the solvent is that of storing the stain removing agent in a paste form in an aerosol bottle or container. Aerosol containers are, however, not always popular because the propellant utilized in them develops substantial pressures. Raised temperatures must be avoided at all costs and instruction for use, for example, as regards keeping to a precise distance between the aerosol container and the article of clothing to be cleaned on spraying, must be adhered to.
The problem of removing a stain removing agent in liquid form in portions appears to have been already solved. A previous proposal has been made to fill liquid stain removing agents in portions into glass ampoules, which are surrounded by a plastic casing which at one end has a wick. The glass ampoule inside the plastic casing is crushed so that the contents can be taken up by the wick and from the wick can be applied to the stain to be removed. However, it is not in all cases possible to ensure that the plastic casing is completely reliable and in fact there is the danger that small splinters of glass may escape and lead to injury.